Path to your dream university

Hope everyone is safe and healthy. This time during the quarantine is difficult for all of us. So, to divert yourself from all the negativity surrounding us, it's best to use the time positively and focus on ourselves. Work on our mental health, pursue hobbies and interests we didn't find the time for, build our skill set and prepare for the future. That being said, for all those who wish to pursue higher education, this would be a great time to prepare for the extremely competitive admission process. This article outlines my path to securing admissions from some of the best universities in the world for robotics. I hope this helps all those in the same pursuit.

My fascination with robotics buds from Team Roverx, the Mars Rover team at Vellore Institute of Technology, of which I've been a part since 2017. During my time in college, I explored the field of robotics through various courses, projects, competitions, and internships. And these experiences made it clear that pursuing robotics was my way forward. That is step 1. Utilizing the opportunities, resources and time during college effectively towards finding out what interests you.

Once I realized that robotics was my field of interest, I focused my projects on robotics and automation. I started building my profile as a Robotics Engineer. To do so, it is impertinent to give equal importance to academics and research projects. While working on these projects, I realized that I needed more profound knowledge about the field before diving into the robotics industry, and hence the decision to pursue a graduate degree in robotics. So that's step 2. Start building a strong profile by aligning your work with your field of interest to gain knowledge and understand it's nuances. It will help identify how you want to progress in this domain, that is, if you wish to start working in the industry, or if you're going to specialize more with a graduate program.

Once I decided to pursue a master's degree in robotics, I started looking through various universities that offer the program and the basic requirements for securing an admission- the exams to be taken, the prerequisite courses to complete, etc. During my pre-final year, I focused on strengthening my knowledge on the prerequisite courses, and over the summer break before my final year, I prepared for GRE and IELTS examinations and took the exams in September and October. GRE and TOEFL/IELTS are the examinations to be considered for pursuing a Master's in an engineering program, abroad. That's step 3. Over the pre-final year, try to complete the prerequisite courses, and take sufficient time to prepare for the GRE and TOEFL/IELTS exams. The time taken varies from person to person, depending on how much time a person can devote to the preparation. So plan according to what's best for you.

After taking the examinations, I shortlisted the colleges to apply to. The list I made was based on multiple factors like program focus, curriculum, ongoing research/project work, opportunities (internships, jobs, etc.), ranking, finances, etc. So this is going to be your step 4. Make a list of colleges you want to apply to, based on what you want to gain from the graduate program.

Once the list has been finalized, step 5 is to send your test scores to the universities. It may take some time for the scores to reach the universities. So plan this well to ensure that all the scores reach before the application deadlines.

With the list of colleges in place, I looked at the requirements for application to the Universities. Usually, the application requires a Statement of Purpose, 2-3 Letters of Recommendation, Resume, Transcript, and Test scores. Sometimes, the requirements may vary from college to college, but these are the basic requirements in most colleges. I took the months of October and November to prepare the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and resume. This is a long process. These documents require repeated reviewing by multiple people and a good number of rewrites. So don't rush it. Take your time and ensure you are satisfied with them. If you are convinced that these documents describe you in the best possible way, then that's when you are ready for submission. That's step 6.

And once all the required documents were in place, I took the months of December and January to complete my University applications. The applications are long and require meticulous attention. So again, take your time with them too. Don't hurry them just to complete your application well before the deadline. That is step 7.

Step 8 is the hardest of the entire procedure. It's the wait. Well, you've given it your best, so no point pondering about it. Just kick back and relax. What's best will come your way.